Sophia, Isabela, and Paulina Medina — who perform traditional Mexican music as Las Hermanas Medina — are higher ed alumnae with Bela a grad of CVHEC member Fresno State where Paulina is currently enrolled and Sophia graduated from UC Santa Cruz. Their dad, Dr. Juan Medina, is a Fresno State alumnus also.

Hanford College-going Family Provides Cultural Flair  

For our first-ever Central Valley Higher Education Consortium  Summit Cinco De Mayo Reception on May 5,  CVHEC is pleased to present Las Hermanas Medina, a trio of sisters raised in the Central Valley community of Hanford, California: Sophia, Isabela, and Paulina Medina who are higher ed alumnae or currently enrolled in a CVHEC  member institution.

Parents Dr. Juan R. Medina and Consuelo instilled the value of sharing their Mexican heritage through participation in cultural arts programs including Mariachi and Ballet Folklórico at the Kings Cultural Center, a non-profit organization which the pair founded in 1994 in Armona, California near Hanford. (Dr. Medina is an alumnus of CVHEC member Fresno State earning a bachelor’s in biology in 1986 followed with a doctorate in medicine at UC Irvine in 1990).

Sophia, Isabela, and Paulina Medina found fulfillment in learning the history and celebration of their culture through music. The Medina Sisters are proud to contribute to special events and serve diverse populations, bringing loved ones together in song through cultural arts performance.  

Meet Las Hermanas Medina de Hanford:

Sophia Medina

Sophia, a graduate of UC Santa Cruz in 2017, earned her degree in human biology. She returned to her Central Valley home and served her community as Miss Kings County 2018, worked as an emergency medical technician with American Ambulance and is currently a substitute teacher in Kings County while volunteering with the Kings Cultural Center. She hopes to pursue her master’s to become a physician assistant.

Bela Medina

Isabela graduated from CVHEC-member Fresno City College in 2017 before transferring to Fresno State where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in Sociology in 2019. She had the opportunity to travel and intern with Camp Adventure in Sasebo, Japan and Oahu, Hawaii as a counselor working with children and youth in military bases. She then moved back to Hanford and has been working as a behavior instructor with A Change in Trajectory while pursuing her master’s in applied behavior analysis through National University.

Paulina Medina

Paulina is a current undergraduate Smittcamp Family Honors College Scholar at Fresno State majoring in biology with a Spanish minor after graduating from University High School, Fresno. In college, she continued her engagement in musical arts by joining the Fresno State Mariachi. She now focuses on a research-focused education in the Biology Honors Program and concurrently works as an emergency department scribe. After graduation from Fresno State, Paulina plans to attend medical school with ambitions of becoming a healthcare provider serving underserved populations within the Central Valley

To contact Las Hermanas Medina for cultural performances, email sophia@kingsculturalcenter.org or through social media: @kingsculturalcenter.

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The Medina Sisters were featured in an ABC30 report by Elisa Navarro Sept. 13, 2021. 

Dia de los Muertos 2021 at the Kings Cultural Center (Armona, Ca.) with the Medina family: Dr. Medina, wife Chely, daughters Bela, Paulina and Sophia.

CVHEC-member Bakersfield College is among more than 140 national and local universities selected by Amazon for a new program that offers its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S. fully-funded college tuition.

Amazon’s announcement March 3 is part of the company’s ongoing enhancements to Career Choice – an upskilling program designed to help frontline employees grow their skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

Bakersfield College is one of the nation’s oldest continually-operating community colleges, serving approximately 30,000 students annually on the 153-acre main campus in northeast Bakersfield and at multiple community and rural locations. Amazon is also partnering with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses – all for free.

Bakersfield College Interim President Zav Dadabhoy said he is thrilled to have this opportunity available for Amazon’s local workforce.

“Bakersfield College is here to support our entire community in many different ways,” Dr. Dadabhoy said. “While most students seek a college degree or certificate, many can improve their careers and earning potential through building skills that develop and ensure secure futures.”

He said through Amazon’s Career Choice Program, BC’s students will have the foundational support of steady employment while also working towards their personal academic goals: “All of us at Bakersfield College are thrilled to see the growing presence of Amazon in our community and look forward to a long and productive collaboration.”

As a champion of higher education, Bakersfield College’s expansive list of vocational, technical, and career-driven programs has captured attention statewide.

In 2015, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office announced their selection of BC as one of 15 California colleges to pilot a four-year baccalaureate degree program in Industrial Automation. In May 2018, BC conferred its first BS degrees to the inaugural class and today, one of those initial graduates is employed by Amazon as a Senior Maintenance Manager, here in Kern County.

“Since its founding in 1913, Bakersfield College has been committed to expanding the skilled workforce of Kern County,” said Dr. Sonya Christian, chancellor of the Kern Community College District. “I am beyond proud of BC’s faculty and staff who continue to create pathways and forge innovative partnerships like this one with the Amazon Career Choice Program and by offering employees the opportunity to grow their skills for in-demand jobs of the future, Amazon is positively contributing to the overall wellness and success of Kern County and our community.”

For more information on Bakersfield College’s Career Choice Program, visit: https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/adult-education/amazon-career-choice-program.

See: Bakersfield College press release with additional information about Amazon’s educational programs and jobs.

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By EMMA GALLEGOS – Bakersfield.com

Feb 26, 2022

To mark its 100 years in the community, Taft College will be having a big party.

There have been and will continue to be events commemorating the 100th birthday all year, including a breakfast in January and a barbecue coming up in August. But March 26 will serve as the marquee event of the season: the Centennial Celebration Gala.

“We’re looking forward to dressing up and celebrating the college in our community,” said Taft College President and Superintendent Debra Daniels.

It will be an evening of music and good food, and also a time for alumni and community members to share their memories. Former offensive line coach for the New England Patriots Dante Scarnecchia will return to his alma mater as a special guest for the evening.

Taft College prides itself on being a small college that punches above its weight. This semester its unduplicated headcount is at 2,636.

That’s certainly true when it comes to athletic prowess. Scarnecchia is just one in a long line of alumni with impressive records that have taken them to the Olympics, NFL and MLB.

But Daniels said that just scratches the surface: One million people have been students of Taft College. They work in the college and serve as leaders in the community.

She says you can just look no further than the district’s board: president Kathy Cole and trustee Kathy Orrin, who also serves as executive director of the Taft Chamber of Commerce, are both alumni. Others include Bo Bravo, who works for Chevron, and Janice Ashley, who serves on the West Side Health Care District.

But Taft College’s origins are very humble. Like many of the oldest community colleges in California, Taft College’s first act began as a junior college that was essentially an extension of the high school.

On Aug. 30, 1922, Taft Union High School approved Taft Junior College, making it the 16th in California. The first faculty members were the heads of the high school departments, and the first dean was the high school principal.

Even 100 years ago, it was advertised not only as a way to save money on college expenses, but also as a way for parents to keep a closer eye on their young adult children.

“The fact that the student may be kept under the parental eye for two more years than is ordinarily the case and that the expense of text books and board is also saved is a large factor in making the junior college course desirable,” read a front-page article in The Bakersfield Californian.

On the first day of school, Sept. 15, there were 20 students enrolled at Taft Junior College. The first courses offered were in Spanish, French, Latin, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geography, public speaking, history, philosophy, economics, political science, hygiene and physical education.

The junior college would grow exponentially, especially after World War II, to the point that it required its own facilities and dorms, independent of the high school system. In 1962, it officially became an independent college district. In 1971, it would take on the name we know it by today: the West Kern Community College District.

The district has gone through highs and lows: the price of oil, California’s budget or bond measures funded by the community determined the fate of the campus. During a particularly painful period in the early 1990s, all athletic programs were cut. Most of them, save for the football and track programs, were eventually brought back.

It was during this lean period that the Taft College Foundation was formed. Since 1991, it has raised more than $5 million to support the district’s goals. It helped the college in key moments, such as securing the loan for the facility where the dental hygiene program was launched in 1993. Today it helps the college in a variety of ways, including through offering emergency funds for students or innovation grants for professors, Daniels said.

Bond measures have been key through the years. In 1961, a tax election for 50 cents was roundly defeated while the college was still under the auspices of the high school district. But in 1964, the newly-created district passed a 13.5-cent tax override with strong support. Subsequently, the campus was able to massively expand its infrastructure.

In 2004, the community supported Measure A, a $39.8 million general obligation bond measure. It funded the modernization or construction of new buildings, including the Student Center. It opened at the beginning of this school year, just days before students arrived on campus after almost two years in distance learning.

Education is a big piece of how the college gives back to the community, Daniels said.

“They start businesses, and they become great employees,” Daniels said.

For local students it literally is a gift through the Taft College Promise. All Taft Union and Maricopa High School students attend their first two years for free, and they are offered wraparound services such as counseling that make them more likely to succeed.

But Daniels said that Taft College is also one of the largest employers in the area. It provides jobs and contracts with local vendors. The college has always had strong support from the community.

“They come out to our events and take an interest in our school,” Daniels said.

She said she’s looking forward to welcoming the community for the Centennial festivities.

The Centennial Celebration Gala will be held at Taft College Student Center on March 26. The pre-party mixer will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the gala will start at 6:30. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3GoGplt

Reprinted from the Bakersfield.com.